


This Is Halloween

by doctorbuffypotterlock79



Category: RuPaul's Drag Race (US) RPF
Genre: F/F, Lesbian AU, continuing my tradition of cheesy and fluffy halloween fics, pure fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:02:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27287608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doctorbuffypotterlock79/pseuds/doctorbuffypotterlock79
Summary: Brooke and Vanessa both end up as parent volunteers for their kids' class Halloween party, and the day is sweeter than they expected.
Relationships: Brooke Lynn Hytes/Vanessa Vanjie Mateo
Comments: 12
Kudos: 36





	This Is Halloween

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a short, fluffy little fic I wanted to write for Halloween. I really hope you enjoy, and I'd appreciate any feedback! Thank you Writ for betaing! Title from the song from _Nightmare Before Christmas_. 
> 
> Happy Halloween!

Brooke hates Halloween. 

She’s hated it since she was six, when she got separated from her older siblings during trick-or-treating. She had to find her way back home in the dark, dodging big kids in scary masks that dripped fake blood and running past the creaky old house with broken windows that all the kids swore was haunted, while birds squalled in menace and trees swayed with what she was sure had to be ghosts. 

She’s a grown woman now, with a kid of her own, but her hair still stands on end and her skin still prickles like she’s being watched as soon as houses start decorating with fake webs and giant rubber spiders, as soon as horror movie commercials come on TV every night, as soon as one of those random Halloween stores pops up in some empty building. 

She’s been up and down every costume aisle of said store with Lily, her daughter changing her mind from cowgirl to princess to astronaut and back to cowgirl again. Her costume is all ready to go for her school party tomorrow, hat neatly arranged with her plaid shirt and bandanna. Brooke will brave the night and take her trick-or-treating tomorrow, and if she can sneak some peanut butter cups from Lily’s stash, it’ll be worth it. Brooke will have a normal day tomorrow, no costumes, no makeup, no scares--

Brooke bites her lip when she sees Nina calling. Nina is Lily’s teacher and Brooke’s friend, and Brooke assumes this is a friendship call when she picks up.

“Hello?”

“Oh, Brooke.” Nina sighs in relief. “Brooke, how much do you love me?”

Brooke rolls her eyes. “What do you need, Nina?” she asks fondly.

There’s a pause on the other end. “One of my parent volunteers for the party tomorrow is sick. I can’t get anyone else on such short notice. Do you think you could help me?”

“Nina--”

“Your old friend.”

“Nina--”

“The woman responsible for teaching your daughter the alphabet and preparing her for the world.”

“All right, Nina! No need for the theatrics,” Brooke says. It won’t be a problem for her to get off work a little early, and Nina won’t have anything scary in her classroom. It’s just a kindergarten costume party, for crying out loud. She probably just has to be there so kids don’t throw candy at each other. 

“You’re a lifesaver, Brooke! See you tomorrow!”

\---

Brooke fiddles with the school visitor sticker on her gray sweater as she glances around the classroom. Nina’s turned the white walls into a pumpkin patch, with construction paper hay and squash and pumpkins lining the room. Little ghosts float near the top, with big eyes and--because it’s Nina--wide smiles. The Monster Mash plays softly from Nina’s portable speaker, and Brooke manages a smile. Nothing scary here. 

Nina rushes in the room hanging on to her witch hat, with a woman who makes Brooke’s heart skip a beat at her side. The woman is tiny, in a purple shirt covered in little bats, a cat ear headband poking through her wavy brown hair. 

“Brooke.” Nina calls her over. “The kids are doing the costume parade in the gym, and I have to supervise. So I’m gonna have you and Vanessa”--she nods at the tiny woman, who gives a little wave and a brilliant smile-- “get the tables set.”

Brooke nods, and Nina’s out the door, witch dress flowing behind her. Brooke takes the stack of pumpkin-covered paper plates while Vanessa takes the napkins, starting on the giant U-shape of tables covered in plastic orange tablecloths. 

“Nice headband,” Brooke says, and Vanessa’s laugh is one of the greatest things Brooke’s ever heard.

“Thanks,” Vanessa says. 

“So, did Nina--uh, Mrs. West--rope you into this too?” Brooke asks. 

“Nah, I volunteered. I love Halloween.” Vanessa’s hand brushes against Brooke’s when she lays a napkin down, and tingles shoot up Brooke’s arm. 

“Oh.” 

“I’m guessing you’re not a fan?”

Brooke shrugs. “Not really. Got lost trick-or-treating as a kid, kinda left a bad taste.” She tries to downplay it all, because Vanessa is cute and funny and cool, and clearly into her too if that smile is any indication. Brooke doesn’t want Vanessa thinking she’s a weenie. Even if she probably is a weenie.

But Vanessa’s eyes widen with sympathy. “Aww,” she coos. “That must’ve been scary. I don’t do scary Halloween stuff. Scariest we gettin’ is _Hocus Pocus_ , maybe _Nightmare Before Christmas_.”

Brooke laughs. “I can handle that. Just no horror or gore or that kind of thing.”

Vanessa nods, laying down a last napkin. “You should come to the public library sometime. I work there, I make all the decorations. You could bring your kid …” She gestures to the name plates at each chair.

“Lily,” Brooke tells Vanessa. “She sits down on the other end.” She pauses a second, raises her eyebrows in mischief. “Making sure I’m not the parent of a kid that your kid hates?”

Vanessa lets out that wild laugh again, and Brooke smiles. “Not at all! Jamie doesn’t hate anyone. He used to walk up to random people in stores and try to be their friend before I stopped him.”

Brooke joins Vanessa in her laughter. She can see where Jamie gets his warmth and friendliness from.

“I think Lily’s mentioned him before,” Brooke says. “He helped her on the swings, I think.”

Vanessa nods in satisfaction. “About time all those manners I taught him sunk in.” She moves over to the paper cups Nina set out and hands half the stack to Brooke. “You remember that cup song everyone was doing? I still remember the whole dang thing.”

“You can’t say that and not prove it,” Brooke challenges, locking eyes with Vanessa and feeling her whole face blush. 

Vanessa sticks her tongue out. “You bet I will.” She sets up her stack on the desk, her hands moving all over the place, stacking and unstacking and all over again. Her body sways slightly to the Monster Mash--Nina’s playlist seems to be this song exclusively--and Brooke sways gently with her. She bursts into applause when Vanessa finishes, rolling her eyes as Vanessa takes a bow. 

“Let’s get these cups out,” Vanessa says. 

Brooke does, following Vanessa around the room and working up the courage to ask what she wants to. 

“Hey, uh, Lily and I are going trick-or-treating tonight,” Brooke starts, “And if you and Jamie want to come… I mean, unless you’re already going with someone.” There’s plenty of people Vanessa could be going with--a friend or a partner or anyone, really--but Brooke is hoping there’s no one. And she’s hoping Vanessa will understand why she’s asking. 

“No, it’s just us,” Vanessa says, giving Brooke a meaningful look. “Let’s do it! Meet at 6 on Maple?”

“Sure.”

Tables ready, they neaten up the little table of food--cupcakes with orange and black sprinkles and cookies with spider web designs and pizza that Brooke is happy to see hasn’t been spookified.

Vanessa comes at Brooke with a plastic skull-shaped ring in her hand. “Come on, you gotta look a little more festive,” she says.

Brooke snorts, letting Vanessa push the ring over her finger. For just a second, she wants to grab Vanessa’s hand and hold it, but the feeling flies away when the kids charge in, a parade of superheroes and princesses and monsters and lightsabers. 

Lily runs up to Brooke and hugs her before sitting down, buzzing with excitement over showing everyone that her mommy is in class. Brooke notices Jamie, dressed as Luke Skywalker, doing the same with Vanessa. His brown curls match hers perfectly, and Brooke can’t help but smile. 

“You ever wonder how long before they’re embarrassed by us?” Vanessa asks Brooke as they supervise the kids getting their snacks. 

“We got at least a few years for that, don’t worry,” Brooke soothes. She touches Vanessa’s shoulder gently in comfort, melting when Vanessa leans into her touch. They hover in the corner for the rest of the party, talking and laughing while they spear straws through juice boxes and pass out napkins, and Lily has to tug Brooke out of the classroom. 

\---

“Trick or Treat!”

Brooke and Vanessa linger on the sidewalk because the kids insisted on ringing the doorbell themselves. They still have another few streets to visit, and Brooke wishes the night could go on forever, that the kids could just knock on a never-ending row of houses. Because once they’re done, she has to leave Vanessa, who’s bouncing next to Brooke gasping and oohing and ahhing over cool decorations or costumes she sees as they walk.

“Hey, Brooke?” Vanessa asks. 

“Yeah?” 

“Can I give you a treat?” Vanessa looks down hopefully, her round cheeks red under the streetlights. 

Brooke’s stomach jumps into her throat. “Of course you can.”

Vanessa holds out a Milky Way bar, the silver wrapper shining. Only on top of it, there’s a little piece of paper--

Brooke’s heart skips a beat as she takes the candy and reads Vanessa’s phone number, written in a messy scrawl. Brooke blushes a deep red herself and returns Vanessa’s smile. She sticks the paper in her pocket, knowing she’ll call it tomorrow. 

A treat, indeed.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Writing has been slow lately, but I do have some stuff in progress, so stay tuned!


End file.
